A Change Will Do You Good!

Aloha friends & loved ones alike! Boy, have we got loads of exciting stories for you. They range from strenuous yet gorgeous hikes to our amazing new neighbors to a fiasco that has to do with picking a dog up from the airport to....you get the point. Oh, and a near-Liz-flattening accident on a moped. (Mom, you might not want to read this post...) :)

First things first. Can you believe that Pete and I have been married for two years on Tuesday? I mean, can you really even believe it? We have been dating for 6 years, and married for 2. That just seems unreal to me! One tradition that we've started, apparently, is spending our wedding anniversary with at least one member of the Worrel family. Last year, we hiked 10 miles with Ben Worrel and celebrated by feeding our bodies to endless amounts of chiggers. Want to see what that looks like? Let's take a trip through history.

It looks bad, but I tell you what- it felt ten times worse. So, that was in celebration of our 1 year.

This year, fate has brought us together with the Worrel's once more- this time, with Adam and Ashley. Don't worry, we won't be camping. (Thank sweet Heaven for the lack of chiggers in Hawaii!) Instead, we have the privilege to pick up these very best friends of ours from the Honolulu airport, as they will be MOVING here! They have never even visited Hawaii, and here they are, packing up their lives and moving across an ocean to a tiny island settled in the Pacific. Who would do that?! Oh, besides us. Someone very, very, seriously cool would do that. And let me tell you, Adam and Ashley are very, very seriously cool people. Not to mention brave and adventurous! We are more than stoked to celebrate our second wedding anniversary by welcoming them to this amazing island. Earlier in the day on Tuesday, I'll be treating Pete to a few surprises around town and he will be treating me to his own surprises in the late afternoon. Then, at the lovely hour of 8:00, we will start a new adventure with Adam and Ashley. We are only able to imagine how much fun life is going to be with them here! (No pressure guys...) :) I wonder which Worrel we'll spend our next anniversary with?

One thing I am so thankful for is that we got our six-year-sicknesses out of the way last week. By six-year-sickness, I mean that I haven't been that kind of sick in six whole years. I specifically remember the year of 2004 because of how sick I was for my own high school graduation. It was the last time I blew chunks, and I hoped it would be the last forever. Alas, it was not to be so, for my Hawaiian bathtub got to see everything I ate last week. If bathtubs could talk, mine would not be very happy with me. It would cuss me out. Or, it would probably never talk to me again. If I were a bathtub, I would not want some dumb human to blow chunks in my face...seven times. If I were a bathtub, I would use my spout to punch that human in the face. Anyway, I'm glad I'm not a bathtub, and I'm even more glad that bathtubs can't talk...or punch. :) I'm just glad that this human and her husband got sick on the same exact day so we could get it over with for the next six years to come. While I was rolling around on the floor, groaning, and thrashing, I did have some positive thoughts. Granted, I had to work really hard to pull anything good out of the situation, but after some serious b.s.ing, I came up with some good stuff. 1) Being sick makes you really thankful for every other day of the year that you feel absolutely fine. 2) Being sick enlightens you as to how blessed you are that you're not ALWAYS like this. 3) Being sick just means there's something in your body that your body is trying to get rid of, so it's really cool that our bodies know what to do! 4) Puking 7 times makes a girls stomach look realllllly good. I won't continue that practice in daily life or anything, don't worry. 5) Being sick sucks so bad that it's almost funny...almost. Pete and I actually did spend quite a few minutes giggling about our hilarious situation. Two people, stretched out on either a floor or futon, groaning about their stomachs and heads, wanting to help the other but not being able to. No foot rubs, no back rubs, no cold wash cloths, no soup = no fun. But super funny.

While we were sick, we had some new neighbors move in to the studio next door. We share a yard and a driveway and...well, by now, pretty much everything else! We have become fast friends. Pretty much because they lent us their most expensive possession while we were sick- their TV! Meet Dave and Katie.

Super generous, fun, amazing people who are a perfect fit for our little Kalaheo community! They've been married 2 years, just like us, and just like us, they are newcomers to Hawaii. The same week they lent us their TV, they did this little thing called Moving Here from Seattle. Super cool people, yeah? I pretty much know we're bound to be great friends because they met us at our worst and still liked us. We must be super cool people too. :)

Since they've been here, life has been a constant whirl of fun and adventures! It always is, I guess, but it's even more fun to have other people to share these adventures with. And how great is it when you're neighbors with people who have such common interests? It is going to be one crazy whirlwind of nonstop playing when Adam and Ash get here- I just have a feeling!

Maybe I've been playing a little too much lately. Since I've come back from the mainland, I have been averaging 18 hour weeks (or less) at California Pizza Kitchen. Pete has been averaging 40-50 hour weeks as an EMT...so he's our family breadwinner these days! He is doing great in his program, by the way. I am so proud of him each and every day! When we're not working, you can find us either in the ocean or on a mountain. We have gone to two different waterfalls in the last two weeks, done some much-needed paddleboarding, and Lizzie even went out surfing! I stood up a few times, only to come crashing down, then coming up with mouthfulls of salt water. It was pretty funny, actually. I think I'm on my way to the Eddie Aiku competition at North Shore this winter. Definitely. But dude, when it comes to paddleboarding, I am the Master. Well at least of my division. Which would be Beginner. :)

To add to our list of adventurous endeavors lately, we just bought ourselves an electric moped! It's so cute- it's yellow, white, and black (yes, like a bumblebee) and tops out at 40 mph...but it will probably break if you force it that high. I stick around 25-30 mph, considering that's the highest speed limit in small town Kailua. We bought it mainly to get around town, and for me to get to work. I've been roadbiking to work since February but by the time I get there, I'm nice and sweaty. It only took us 7 months to find an alternative! I've only gotten almost-hit once (and it was only a 4 x4 truck, no need to worry), and I only dragged myself all over creation once. Oh, and both happened to be right in front of work. I took a bow. No, but seriously, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I am very cautious and even more of a defensive driver than usual. We prayed a lot about the decision to buy one, and we felt a peace about it.

There are always more things I could update you with but I'm hitting a little bit of a wall. Probably because the sun is about to set over the mountains and more than anything, I want to ride my little scooter to a beautiful place and take pictures. So, maybe we'll catch up more later, when mother nature isn't calling my name.

Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy. Mahalo for reading!

A verse to leave you with:

"Be very careful then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity." I don't interpret this to have fun and not work- on the contrary, I just believe that every day is a gift and these days won't last forever. Enjoy your life. Love others. Be thankful for what you've been blessed with.